Heading North
by YMR9
Summary: In which Margaery and Loras do not die. Bonus: Margaery ends up with Sansa.


_Something is definitely wrong._

Margaery thought and looked around the Sept. Cersei and Tommen had not showed up. Her brother was still in the middle of the hall, and she wished she could go and stand next to him.

The High Sparrow had humiliated him and her House in many ways. Loras was forced to renounce his lordship and his claims on Highgarden only to save his life, and all Margaery could do was standing next to her father and kept her mouth shut.

But the time had passed, and her gut was telling her they should get out of here.

She tried her best to convince the High Sparrow to let them go, but he was stubborn as he always had been.

Her sight trailed to Loras. If something happened, he would be the first person in this room she wanted to stay with.

"Loras," Margaery said after making her way to her brother. "Stay with me."

She guided him by his arm and led him to the nearest exit.

A group of Sparrows gathered together and prevented them in no time. The smallfolk seemed to have the same idea and started pushing against the cloaked priests.

"Let us go," Margaery pleaded as calmly as she could. "Please. Something is wrong."

The Faith Militant did not move. Their faces remained emotionless to express their blind and unwavering faith, and it was one of the things that had been bothered her since they established the new Faith.

Margaery usually preferred to achieve her goals with words, but this time she reckoned it had to be with force.

"Loras," Margaery turned to her brother. "Help me."

Her brother turned to her with blood dripping from his forehead down to his nose. He looked tired and defeated.

"Please," Margaery begged him.

"My sweet sister," Loras said faintly. "Perhaps… keeping the faith is the way."

"No, you don't understand!" Margaery said loudly and grabbed his arms. "Something bad is happening. I just know it."  
"What do you want me to do?" asked Loras, still not truly understood the situation.

"I want you to be my brother!" Margaery shouted at him in hoping to bring the true Loras Tyrell back.

Within seconds, Loras nodded and yanked a mace from the nearest Sparrow. He knocked three of them down and aimed for the next.

Margaery took the brief moment she had to look for her father.

Mace Tyrell was on the opposite side of the Sept, and Margaery could see him looking back at her. The old Lord was surrounded by the smallfolk. There was no chance for him to get out and they both knew it.

Her father nodded at her once and mumbled the words that could only be 'I love you'. Margaery felt tears rolling down her face at the same Loras grabbed her arm.

"Let's go," Loras said sharply.

He sounded like himself again, and it relieved her. Margaery took one last look at her father and followed her brother.

As one of the greatest knights in Westeros, it did not take much for Loras to knock other Sparrows out of the way even in his weakest state. There were also commoners in front of them, but they parted as soon as they saw the mace in Loras' hand and the determination on their faces.

Margaery gasped for air when they were outside while Loras was already on his way to fetch the first horse he could find. It was almost convenient that at few Sparrows were outside at their posts with horses.

Commoners followed after Margaery from the Sept left and right and brushed past her, but it was the least she could bother now.

Margaery kept moving forward at the same time her brother was riding a horse back up the stairs. She reached out her hand when she was close enough, and he lifted her up with ease.

Loras turned the horse back without any words and urged it to go as fast as it could. Margaery wrapped her arms around him tightly with her eyes closed. She could tell something bad would happen and it would be in any second now.

They kept moving forward, and then the sound of the wind became louder. It reminded her of the nights with heavy storm. She remembered how much she was scared of storms when she was a little girl, but the sound she was hearing at the moment was scaring her more than any moment in her life.

"Hold on, Margaery," Loras told her.

Margaery hugged him even more tightly. She could hear the sound of the footsteps of the horse and then it stopped.

And then, she was flying.

Margaery could feel the air piercing through her skin. Her eyes remained shut, but she suddenly saw green light.

Margaery felt herself getting lifted up even higher. Her legs left the back of the horse completely, and the only thing that kept her from panic was Loras.

The green light was getting brighter and brighter.

 _It's our color._ Margaery thought mindlessly.

And then, it turned to black.

* * *

Margaery always hated waking up. The feeling of consciousness coming back and the gradually brighter light behind her eyes reminded her of the duty she would have each day. Somehow, today was different.

Today, she woke up by the pain on her left arm and the left side of her face. She had no idea how long she had been crying, but her tears were already there when she woke up. The other parts of her body were sore due to the hard ground she was lying on.

Margaery lifted herself up with her right arm and looked through the curtains of her tears. She barely saw anything and thought she lost her vision. The smell that hit her nose made her realize that it was due to the black smoke coming from the Sept. Judging from the surrounding, she should be in the Flea Bottom.

 _I'm alive?_ Margaery asked herself in disbelief.

Margaery did not waste her time to look for Loras. There were no other people around and she figured that because they were all at the Sept. Margaery felt genuinely sorry for them for a second, but they meant nothing to her comparing to father.

And Loras.

"Loras," Margaery whispered and winced.

Her face hurt even with the slightest movement. Margaery looked down at her forearm and was shocked by the sight. It was swelling with pus, but at least there was no black part, which was a good sign.

Margaery looked away and started limping forward.

"Loras," Margaery called out again despite the pain on her cheek.

There was no reply for a long moment until she heard a faint murmur.

"Margaery?"

Margaery moved forward to the sound as fast as she could.

Her brother was lying behind a wooden barrel. The wound on his forehead already dried. The left side of his face was burnt like hers, but there were no other prominent wounds.

"Loras, my brother," Margaery said to him softly. "Can you move?"

Loras nodded. He opened his eyes and the expression on his face when he saw her face scared her.

"Seven Hells, Margaery," he cried out and stroked her unburnt cheek. "I will kill Cersei for doing this to you."

She could tell how bad she looked by looking at his face, but it was the least of their worries now.

"Not today, Loras," Margaery said firmly. "We have to leave King's Landing now."

"Are you suggesting we should go home?" Loras asked.

"Home or wherever we can go," Margaery told him and added. "But first, let me tend to our wounds."

Margaery and Loras rummaged through the smallfolk's houses in order to find what they needed. She thanked her grandmother and Maesters for the knowledge of remedies. Even though she could not find any medicine for their wounds, she knew to use specific kind of food and condiments to relieve their pain.

"Take this and press on your face," Margaery offered her brother a slice of tomatoes she found.

"You take it," Loras insisted. "I can handle the pain."

"You think I can't?" Margaery asked.

It was in her instinct to show her strength since she was young, especially to Loras, especially when most people saw her as weak her whole life.

"Sister, you are as strong as I am, if not stronger. And we are equal in every way," Loras assured with her. "But please do take the tomato."

Margaery smiled at how ridiculous the last sentence sounded, and press the piece of tomatoes on her arm.

She found a dozen of eggs and advised Loras to apply the white on his face, and did the same on her own.

She changed her clothes and wrapped her arm with a clean piece of cloth. She found a satchel and put everything that could be useful in it. She suddenly realized how light her head felt.

She walked out to look for her crown. It was laying a few feet away from the spot she woke up on. Half of it was melted by the wildfire, but the rose part was still intact. It made her feel better for a short moment before she put it in the satchel.

Margaery turned around and found that Loras was kneeling down next to the horse that brought them here. It was lying on the side and breathed very slowly.

"Is she...?" Margaery asked. She had a feeling that the horse was female.

Loras shook his head and brought up a knife he took from a smallfolk's house.

"Thank you and I'm sorry," Loras mumbled, and Margaery turned away just in time he put the horse down.

"What now?" Margaery asked.

"We can't leave by the lands. It's possible that Ser Jaime is coming back today. They would see us," Loras said.

"By water, then," Margaery agreed. "We'll find a ship that sails south."

"The nearest dock should be at Iron Gate. We can go there without being spotted."

* * *

When they arrived, there was only one small ship at the dock. The owner should be at their father's age. He had white hair and beard. He had only three other young men on his ship.

"What if they're not going south?" Loras asked from behind a rock where they were hiding. "Should we go to Blackwater Bay? There should be more ships there."

"It's too risky," Margaery argued. "We have to take this ship whether they are going north, south or east."

"What about grandmother?"

"Cersei thought we're all dead. She would think grandmother is distressed and shouldn't be a threat to her, yet. And we can't do anything now when most of our knights are still in King's Landing."

"May the Seven…," Loras wished and changed his mind. "I hope they are safe."

Margaery looked at his forehead and nodded understandingly. They knew in their heart that no God could save them now, especially not the Ones whose followers marked her brother.

"Do you think they'll recognize us?" Loras asked.

"We'll find out," Margaery said and stepped out.

The four men turned to their way in unison when they heard their footsteps.

"Ser," Margaery started. "Would you be so kind to help us?"

"Who are you lot?" the owner asked.

Judging from his accent, he was not local. They probably were merchants who travelled from places to places. And Margaery was glad they did not recognize her and her brother.

"My name is Mary, and this is my brother, Logan," Margaery came up with a story without much effort. "We are looking to go south."

"This ship is going north," the old man replied and looked at Loras. "And I don't want anything to do with religious freaks. I thought you're all dead in that Sept."

Before Margaery could think of how to respond, Loras brought out his knife. She was afraid he was going to harm them, but he gritted his teeth and carved off the skin on his forehead instead.

"I'm not one of them," Loras said firmly.

"He was forced to take the Faith," Margaery supported him.

The ship owner looked at them consideringly and said. "I'll take you… if you have enough silvers."

Margaery already planned this part since they were in Flea Bottom.

"Would this work?" she asked and brought out her golden crown. "It's not silver."

The man did not take long to take the crown from her.

He inspected it and muttered. "Welcome abroad."

The sea was not kind today. It was the only second time in Margaery's life that she was travelling by the sea, and it was making her nauseous.

She decided to distract herself by tending the wound on Loras' head.

"You're so brave today, brother," Margaery said. "I knew you could be brave."

"You are, too," Loras replied.

"Here, use this to clean his wound," a man on the ship, whom she learned his name was Gus, gave them a bottle of rum.

"Thank you, ser," Margaery said.

"You sound noble," the man remarked. "Who are you?"

Margaery knew she could not speak in different dialect convincingly, so she was already prepared for this question.

"I was one of Queen Margaery's handmaidens, ser."

"Was?" he asked.

"She was killed in the wildfire along with her family and the followers of the Faith, ser."

"I heard she was nice," Gus said. "My condolence."

Margaery nodded gratefully.

"Where are you heading?" the man asked.

"We only want to leave here," Loras replied. "Where are you heading?"

"Winterfell."

The word took Margaery by surprise. Last she heard, Winterfell was taken by the Boltons and they had Sansa with them.

 _Oh, Sansa._ Margaery thought. _My poor sweet girl._

She heard many bad things about the new Lord Bolton. She heard how cruel he was, and she wished someone would save Sansa from him everyday when she could not. She prayed every night for Sansa to be safe.

"What's wrong, Mary?" Gus asked.

She figured that he might have seen the expression on her face.

"Oh," Margaery exclaimed. "I heard the current Lord of Winterfell is cruel. I wouldn't go near him if I were you, ser."

The boat owner chimed in. "You haven't heard the news, woman?"

"What news?" Margaery asked.

"The Starks has taken Winterfell back from the Boltons. That's why we're going there to sell our things since they are rebuilding their fortress again."

"And who is ruling Winterfell now, ser?" Margaery asked without hesitation.

"Some girl and her brother," the old man said and shrugged. "I don't give a fuck about that."

"I heard it's Lady Sansa and her bastard brother. They killed the Bolton bastard a few days ago," Gus gave the answer Margaery needed.

The news made her heart beat fast, not only because she learned Sansa was safe, but also because she and Loras had more chance to survive, if only Sansa still trusted her and remembered their time together.

 _I hope you still remember me, Sansa._

* * *

Their journey by the sea took shorter than Margaery expected, and her nauseousness disappeared when they got in the rivers at White Harbor. She learned from the four men that Balon Greyjoy was dethroned by his brother, and Riverrun was seized by the Lannisters.

Margaery felt like there were so many things she did not know due to countless events in King's Landing that kept her occupied.

Margaery and Loras parted ways with the merchants at the market outside of the East Gate.

The weather was cold and it was snowing. The thick blankets the ship owner gave them did not help when their shoes were not warm enough. It was the first time Margaery came to the North and it was almost unbearable.

"Come on, Margaery, the gate is not far from here," Loras encouraged her.

"How do you know?" Margaery asked.

"Renly visited here twice," Loras said with sadness in his voice. "He drew a map and told me what he did each day on his trip."

Margaery gave him a sad smile and moved forward.

When they arrived in front of the East Gate, it was closed as expected. Margaery's feet started to feel numb.

"Please," Loras shouted. "Open the gate."

A man poked his head out from top of the fort.

"What's your business here?" he asked.

"We require to see Lady Sansa," Margaery said.

"Who are you lot?"

"We are Margaery and Loras of House Tyrell," Margaery told him the truth.

It was the only way he might consider letting them in. Instead, the man laughed.

"I apologize, your Graces," he mocked them. "Take your play to somewhere else."

"Please, ser," Loras begged. "We have travelled far, and we are freezing to death."

The man chuckled and went back to his post.

Margaery could think of the last thing she could do.

"Sansa!" Margaery shouted despite her face hurting. "Are you in there? It's me, Margaery!"

"Shut your mouth, lassie. Don't let me get down there," the man on the fort threatened her, but it did not stop her from calling out for the redheaded girl.

"Sansa! Can you hear me? Lady Sansa!"

The man on the fort turned to give an order to someone Margaery could not see, and two men walked out of the gate.

Loras was already in the stance to protect her when a voice came out of nowhere.

"Stand down!"

Margaery recognized the voice right away. It was the voice she played in her head almost all the time, but she still missed it dearly. Sometimes it was laughing, sometimes it was crying, but it never left her.

Sansa Stark showed up at the gate in a long black coat. A silver wolf was embroidered on her chest. Her hair looked even redder in contrast to snow. Her face flushed from the cold, and she looked taller than Margaery remembered. She looked calm and confident in the way that Margaery had never seen before.

Margaery gave her a smile, but Sansa did not return one.

"Take them to the Great Hall and bring them food," Sansa told her men.

Margaery tried her best to walk up to the other girl, but she already turned around and walked back inside.

 _Did I do something wrong?_

* * *

The Starks served them the best food they had, and Margaery and Loras told them what happened in King's Landing. Margaery learned many Lords' faces. She also met Sansa's half-brother, Jon Snow, who looked nothing like her. Sansa barely looked at her except when the Lord of House Glover doubted their identities.

Sansa vouched for them that they were definitely Margaery and Loras Tyrell. Sansa told Lord Glover that their brown hair and big brown eyes could not be mistaken with someone else. Margaery attempted to joke that they now would have matching scar on their faces, which brought a small smile to Sansa's lips.

Margaery did not know she missed her smile so much.

Sansa turned away from her again, and Margaery told herself that Sansa must have had her reasons.

The dinner went smoothly and Margaery had not feel full in a long time. The Winterfell's handmaiden brought new clothes to her chamber and prepared for her bath.

She bathed and got into the new blue nightgown. The windows were closed, and the hot water system was running, but she still felt cold.

Margaery was wrapping herself in the blanket she took from the bed when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," Margaery said.

She expected a handmaiden to bring her something, but it was Sansa who walked in.

The other girl was in a grey nightgown. Her hair was down. She stood still at the doorframe after closing it.

"My lady," Margaery got up from her bed and bowed her head.

She would not have to do this back in King's Landing when they spent so much time together. But at the moment, she did not know where their relationship stood.

"Let me look at your wounds," Sansa said and motioned to the chairs in front of the dressing table.

Margaery took a good look at herself in the mirror for the first time and gasped. Her grandmother and her mother always taught her that beauty was not ultimate, but she could not refuse that her looks helped achieve many things in her life.

The wound was dry, thanks to the remedies the merchants had. Her skin was red or white in different spots, but never in same color as the rest of her face.

Margaery's hand slowly trembled upwards to caress her cheek until Sansa grabbed it away gently.

The touch soothed her. It had been so long since the last time their hands touched.

Sansa's hand left hers instantly, but only to take the blanket from her and covered it over the mirror.

They sat down, and the same hand touched her again. This time it was under her chin.

"I can't believe Cersei did this to you," Sansa said while cleaning her wound.

Margaery found it hard to form the words when Sansa was so close to her.

"You know how she is," Margaery finally mumbled and added reluctantly. "My lady."

Sansa moved to her arm, and Margaery was happy to inspect her face more openly. Her eyelashes looked so long from this angle, and Margaery tried to remember if Sansa's lips were this red when they first met.

Sansa was quiet, too quiet.

"How are you? How have you been?" Margaery asked.

Sansa looked up to meet her eyes, and Margaery noticed for the first time that her innocence was gone. Sansa stared at her for a long time before speaking.

"I was sold to the Boltons by the man who claimed to love me. Ramsay raped me. And now I'm in debt to the man who claimed to love me because he brought the Knights of the Vale to save us."

Margaery's heart was torn to pieces when she heard what Ramsay Bolton did to her, and she never trusted Lord Baelish. But the thing that broke her heart the most was how indifferent Sansa sounded when she told the story.

"I'm so sorry, Sansa," Margaery said.

She said her name casually for the first time in a long time and almost believed they were going to be the same.

"Are you?" Sansa asked flatly. "I thought you were too occupied with your duty."

"Of course, I am," Margaery replied. "You know I couldn't leave King's Landing. I couldn't let Cersei control everything."

"And it was not because you wanted to be the Queen?" Sansa asked and narrowed her eyes.

"I knew it. Is this why you're mad at me?" Margaery said and got up. "You think I enjoyed playing Queen and stopped caring about you."

"But you did enjoy it," Sansa argued.

Margaery took time to think and respond.

"I did, at first," Margaery admitted. "And then, it was the same every time. I married the men I didn't love, and they either died or other problems came up."

"You don't love Tommen?" Sansa asked with her voice softened. "Everyone who travelled from the South kept telling me you were a lovely couple."

"I don't love him," Margaery said and took a deep breath.

 _My heart belongs to you._ Margaery decided to keep the thought to herself because she was not sure if Sansa felt the same, and she did not want to burden her. Instead, she decided to weigh on their friendship.

"You often ask people about me?"

Sansa flashed her smile the second time of the night. She did not nod or say any word, but Margaery already knew the answer.

"I asked about you, too," Margaery said. "But my little birds were not good enough to let me know where you were all the time. I wish I could prevent what he did to you had I knew you were marrying him, Sansa."

Sansa shook her head and got up from her chair.

"You couldn't have saved me. Nobody could have," Sansa said firmly and added. "Before he died, I told him his words, his name and his House would disappear. Can we start working on that? Can we not talk about him again?"

Margaery nodded and asked. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You," Sansa said and stepped closer. "What do you want to do now?"

"Cersei doesn't know Loras and I survived. I was wondering if you could send a raven to my grandmother to let her know we're safe, and perhaps our Houses could form an alliance. But we had to make sure the letter…"

Sansa pressed her finger on Margaery's lips in the middle of the sentence and stepped even closer.

"We can talk about the plan tomorrow," Sansa whispered. "I want to know what _you_ want."

"I…" Margaery was speechless.

Sansa's confidence took her by surprise. She was different, but at the same time, she was the same sweet girl Margaery grew to love.

"I know what you want," Sansa continued. "Tell me… stop me if I'm wrong."

Sansa cupped her chin and leaned closer.

Margaery could not believe what was happening. She did not close her eyes until she felt Sansa's lips pressed against hers.

Sansa kissed her so gently that her face barely hurt from the impact. When Margaery started kissing back, she could feel a sharp sting on her cheek, but she ignored it.

"You're so beautiful," Sansa said between kisses, and Margaery had to pull away to chuckle.

Sansa caressed her unburnt cheek and looked into her eyes. "I mean it. You will always be beautiful to me."

Sansa leaned in again, only to be interrupted by Margaery's voice.

"I love you, Sansa."

Sansa was stunned by the words. She did not know what Sansa was thinking, but she needed to tell her how she felt.

"I've never loved anyone else in my life."

Sansa was still staring at her, and Margaery did not think she would bother whether Sansa said it back or not. She only wanted to let her know how she felt.

Slowly, Sansa's smile crept up onto her lips at the same time her eyes watered.

Margaery's heart stopped when her lips moved again.

"I love you, too."

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you liked it. I made Loras strong as he should have been on the show. Also, I made Sansa made the first move. ;) And in this fic, they have not learned about Tommen's death yet. And sorry that I ruined their faces. It was just not possible to get out of that place unharmed, right?**

 **Basically, this fic was written to fix the 6x10 and how D &D ridiculously killed Margaery, Loras and Mace. Especially Margaery. I loved her so much almost as much as Lexa. She was smart, beautiful and pragmatic. Her plan to take down the High Sparrow would have been so awesome, but apparently, they built it up for nothing. And for me, she was wlw, so this fits to Bury Your Gays trope, so it's really hard for wlw audience this year. If you feel sad or depressed like I am, please know we'll get through this together. We're going to change something if we let our voices be heard. *hugs everyone***

 **EDIT TO REPLY TO GUEST COMMENTS: Thanks for your reviews. And I'm sorry that I'm not planning to continue this fic because I'm already writing two other fics and they're taking so much time for each chapter. I love writing, but I have school, so I have to focus on that. :(**


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